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Garden Gunk Sewage Can Lurk in Bagged Fertilizers


Bagged garden fertilizers help plants grow, but store-bought brands can be a scary mix of sewage sludge—treated human, industrial and hospital waste. No federal or state regulations require that sewage sludge, also known as biosolids, be listed


on the label. Sludge can also be blended with more natural fertilizers without listing it as an ingredient. Today’s testing requirements for waste sludge cover only 10 elements and two indicator bacteria; all other contaminants, pharmaceuticals and toxic chemicals that go down the drain of every home and business go right into the fertilizer. Terms like “organic” and “natural” only apply to some food products, not compost or fertilizer. Arsenic and lead are both considered natural ingredients. Toxins and heavy metals don’t disappear when exposed to sun or rain; they enter the


soil or travel by wind and water runoff into yards and communities and can be absorbed in vegetables, plants and livestock. When we consume foods grown in sludge, we con- sume whatever the plant takes up from the soil. Also, elements like heavy metals collect in the meat, milk and fat of animals that are fed crops grown in sewage sludge. To protect the family garden, call the fertilizer manufacturer before purchas- ing a product to verify ingredients. Ask the nursery or store for labeling that depicts which products are sludge-free and also insist on their use at area schools, parks and playgrounds.


For more information, visit USludgeFree.org.


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Dietary Supplements According to Scott Tips, president and legal counsel for the National Health Federation (NHF), harmonized global standards are enabling overall reduced vitamin and mineral levels in pill and food form. In February, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) proposed changes to both the current Nutrition Facts panel on food labels and Supplement Facts panel on dietary supplement labels that prompt concern. “While the food industry, media


and general public focus on the proposed format changes, new wording and label design, there’s a danger to our health in the FDA harmonizing our Reference Daily Intake (RDI) of vitamin and mineral levels down to the extremely low levels of the Codex Alimentarius, which our organization has fought against for more than a decade,” advises Tips. Although a few RDIs have been


raised, if the proposed rulemaking is adopted, the NHF anticipates that the FDA will work to conform other recommended nutrient values to those of Codex. Support for this projection is based on an October 11, 1995, FDA pronouncement in the Federal Register to harmonize its food laws with those of the rest of the world. The deadline for citizens to submit comments to the FDA ended on June 2, but we can still write to the Division of Dockets Management (HFA-305), Food and Drug Administration, 5360 Fishers Lane, Rm. 1061, Rockville, MD 20852. Mention Docket No. FDA-2012-N-1210 and insist that the FDA cease pushing its harmonization agenda.


For more information, visit Tinyurl.com/NHFCaseForNutrients.


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